Conversations with Today's Green Business Leaders

Read our interviews with the innovative green entrepreneurs behind our green business network — business leaders who put people and the planet before profits, and whose sustainable companies help you live a greener life.

Current Interview

David Gould

April 2014 —

Sunbeam Candles; Ithaca, NY

Sunbeam Candles lives up to its name. When you light one of Sunbeam's beeswax, soywax, or aromatherapy candles, you're actually bringing a little bit of sunlight inside; that's because all of the company's candles were made at their solar-powered facility in Ithaca, NY.

What's more, Sunbeam Candles always seeks the purest and most local sources of ingredients available. Their beeswax and soy wax are harvested in the United States, and they maintain a personal relationship with many local and regional beekeepers who sell us their entire harvest each year. Their of our aromatherapy lines are scented with 100-percent pure essential oils, never chemical fragrances, and all of their wicks are free of lead and 100-percent cotton.

"Companies have enormous power to create social and environmental -- as well as financial -- outcomes," says John Streur, president of 21, an investment firm and leader in environmental investing. "Corporate power rivals government power in many respects, it controls it in other respects, and the two powers often work together. An investor with large sums of money under management is like a voter with a million votes to cast. Many investors fail to realize these facts, others ignore their responsibility, and of course, some abuse it. All of us at Portfolio 21 are motivated by doing the very best with it that is possible."

Just in time for Valentine's Day, we'd like to introduce you to Beth Gerstein, co-founder of the green jewelery company Brilliant Earth. Her company helps couples find a ring they can feel good about, knowing their dollars are supporting a company that does good for people and the planet.

"We’re in the business of helping couples at the happiest time of their lives," says Beth. "We’re constantly getting feedback from customers who tell us that a Brilliant Earth ring made an engagement proposal or a wedding feel more special and amazing. Many Brilliant Earth couples say they wouldn’t have purchased an engagement ring if they hadn’t found a company that reflected their values."